Incoherent, Synchronous
by ForestRunner
Summary: Post-TP. Link tries to place his tainted heart back together, with the unwilling help of Ilia. "Anywhere he went, awe followed him, and slowly gnawed to his core. The boy was, beyond Ordon's aware, famous, and he wholeheartedly despised every second of it." Rebels of the late Ganondorf threaten the Kingdom, and they won't stop until Link and Zelda are dead. -T for future chaps-
1. Prologue

**Finally managed to find time to type this up! ^_^**

**This is a fanfic I was urged to write, through both a great friend(lookin' at you, Naryu Elric!) and pesterful plot bunnies. I'll TRY to get a chapter out once a week, but it's not all that often that I can borrow this laptop AND finish typing and editing them(I am only allowed to borrow if I have homework that needs doing. I shouldn't be procrasting at 10pm...)**

***coughs* ANYWAYS, you might want to read the one-shot prequel before this, Abjuration, to get a better sense of the flashback. I, obviously, do not own Zelda, yadeeyaddeyada, all that copyright jazz :]**

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**Prologue**

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A calming sensation eased itself over the rising Sun, blanketing the land in serene peace. Bare feet walked a path worn into the forest over decades of traveling upon it. Silence caressed the scenery, a soft, light tread scarcely audible. It was, along with many other quiet hums in the forest, a mute, ignorable sound. One not intently listening would miss it.  
The carefree figure peered into the Spring once reaching it, half hiding herself and holding back a giggle. She saw the boy and his horse, a bucket near by, a brush in his hand. The girl smirked, a mischevious glint in her eyes. She'd teased the boy countless times about how he needed to treat his horse like a girl. It wasn't until lately that he'd committed himself to the basic care chores. Her happy features faltered, a feeling of pity weighing her down. His sudden routine wasn't for the faint of heart. It was, in truth, a distraction from the everlasting tides of anguish gripping his once-innocent soul.

It had been a month since the Era of Prosperity began, the Time of Obscurity vanquished. Just as the Time of Obscurity suggested, no one knew what was happening, nor the source. An evil had cloaked the land, choking the inhabitants into a lifestyle of death and fear. Then, one day, it all just.., vanished. The land could rebuild itself, restoring lost arts to their formor glory, praying to the goddesses above that future generations would never have to suffer a same fate. The Kingdom was slowly placing the missing blocks of it's fundation back together, attempting to fix all wrongdoings done in the Obscurity. Thus, the Era of Prosperity was born.  
The boy had never been the same since the Era had begun. He'd traveled much over the Obscurity, that much the girl knew. She was aware he'd many friends and aqquaintances, some enemies. A dear friend of his was lost forever, better off in her hometown, wherever that was. The girl's heart yearned to comfort him. She too had found a friend she'd never see again.

Futile friendships were not the worst of his troubles. The most he'd said of anything, was that he was unwillingly titled a hero. Anywhere he went, awe followed him, and slowly gnawed to his core. Overly praised, to the point it held no longer held meaning to him. Ridiculed, as celebrities were, for the tiniest of mistakes. The talk of the Kingdom, the one of legends. The boy was, beyond Ordon's aware, famous, and he wholeheartedly despised every second of it.  
Ordon, his hometown, was his oblivious getaway from the bustling, overbearing attention. No one knew his story, assumed there wasn't one. So why, the girl wondered, why wasn't he happy here? She never pestered him to tell her. A bloody, fatally wounded image of him lying in the woods resurfaced her mind, a memory. She gazed at him from her hiding spot, green eyes turning a deep shade only one crying could muster. But there were no tears, not even unshed ones. She would never urge him to confide in anything. Ever. He'd explain when he felt the need to.

She'd let him come around, not force him.

The boy walked towards his horse, brush in his hand raised. The horse, seeing his intentions, snorted and backed away. Her owner smiled, and continued to near the horse. She persisted in playfully backing away, as though teasing her master. The boy realized all too late his horse's plan. The mare leaped into the less shallow water behind her, soaking the boy's Ordonian clothing, wind chilling his skin as though flecks of ice. He shuddered, the Sun had not risen enough yet to warm him. Thrusting the brush hurtling into the air behind him, he shouted in rage, "Epona!"  
Chuckling, the girl walking into the Springwater, brush plopping into the ankle-deep water mere inches in front of her, sprinkling her shins with dapples of droplets. She knelt down, fingers lacing around the brush handle. She teased, "Looks like someone isn't used to her owner being responsible. You should clean her more often."

"She never listens and always pulls these stupid stunts!"

"Because you never care for her, and leave me to dealing with her all the time, Link." The girl smiled, "Let me handle it." Epona had long since climbed out the deeper water, shaking her head dry much like a wet dog. Her eyes caught the girl with the brush, and instantly the horse ran forth, yanked the brush into her mouth, and rushed across the Spring. Link smiled, the girl's dumbstruck expression was amusing. He smirked, "Nice try, Ilia."  
They turned, drawing their attention to the zesty Epona. She childishly glared, and spit the brush onto the ground. Ilia's eyes impossibly grew, mouth left ajar, arms dangling in disbelief. Link chuckled; a laugh out of him was rare nowadays. Ilia huffed, cheeks turning red and embarrassed eyes stabbing Link in mock anger. She jeered, "Laugh at me, eh? We'll see just how well you do on your own, then." With that said, she twitched a smile and left, nose raised into the air to further play the joke.

Link folded his arms, shook his head. Ilia would always be Ilia, she'd never fail to make him feel like a regular, average person. Her stubborn spirit was everlasting. Somewhat reaching contentness with that thought, Link switched his sight to Epona. The horse reared, then scraped a hoof on the ground, like a bull about to charge. Link's face went white. He warily called out, "Ilia..? You were kidding, right?"

"Not entirely!"

Ilia had already left the Spring. He didn't need to guess what part was and wasn't the joke.

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**And there's the intro. Not the best thing in the world, I admit, but the story's just begun. It gets much better, I promise. :D**

**My logic for a moment: Time of Obscurity is the entirety of Twilight Princess. Obscurity means confusion and, well, yeah, confusion. No one knew the entire game what was going on or happening, save Zant, Zelda, Ganondorf, Link, and Midna. I doubt they'd the heart to tell anyone the true story either. Era of Prosperity was kind of self explanatory in the text. That's all you need to know this chapter. Peace! :]**

**EDIT: Fixed all typos - 4/14/12**


	2. Chapter 1

**Guess who's back?  
I want to thank you very much, Running Ninja, NayruElric, and Tawariel Elendil for reviewing the first chapter. I love all of ya'll that have fave/alerted this, but nothing can bring a bigger smile to my face than a review! There's nothing I adore more than hearing your thoughts! Even if you downright hate this, I get absolutely ecstatic hearing your opinions, and especially any critiques or suggestions! They all help me improve, so I can bring even better chapters and stories to you ^_^**

**I'm sort of bummed that I'm taking so long to update things. Originally for the long wait, I was going to post three chapters, but editing it taking way longer than planned. This chapter is way overdue... However, I will try to get the next two chapters out within' the next week! All depends on if I can borrow the laptop.**

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A feeble light basked in the village, midmorning having finally arrived. Pegasus Boots clanked on the porch steps, followed by a squeaky squish each time a foot was lifted. _Clock, squeash. Clock, squeash._ Droplets splattered onto the wooden ground. The wearer of the boots impatiently knocked on the door, then leaned against the pole supporting the porch roof, agitatingly folding his arms. A hand reached up and squeezed his drenched dirty-blonde locks, crystal clear water seeping down his fingers and drizzling along his arm. He sighed, shaking his hand dry. Epona would pay for this.

The door opened, and greeting him was Rusl. The swordsman eyed Link a moment, quizzically asking, "Link, why are you..?" Link pointed towards Epona, and all was understood. To save himself further means of embarrasment, Link cut to the chase and asked Rusl, "Do you have a spare outfit?"

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**Chapter1: Frivilous**

**"_A mental stain can neither be blotted_**  
_**out by the passage of time nor washed away by**_  
**_any waters._" ~Cicero**

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Link rode Epona up to the ranch. He grasped his small tufts of hair, and squeezed them once again. Blobs of water dripped to the ground. His old outfit was given to Uli, for she was handling laundry that afternoon, and he now wore an outfit of Rusl's from his teenage years. Come to think of it, Link remembered back when he was a mere child, and how he'd see Rusl in this getup. The trouble the two got into. How unbreakable their adopted relationship was...  
Link muttered a curse to himself, but all he wanted was to go back to those days. Would Rusl still see the younger brother in Link, if he knew the boy had knowledge of the world beyond those with proper education? Or would he tantalize Link for the skills he'd acquired, idolize the boy for doing something no other man could have done? Link sighed to himself. Ordon was bound to change after learning the truth of their goatherder. It was dreadfully inevitable. Switching his thoughts from pointless worrying, Link raised his gaze to the fields of the ranch. Fado would be far into the meadows with the herd of goats. Link jumped off Epona, and the horse instinctively ran off towards Fado. Through countless years of routine and training, herding had become second nature to her, as well as to some of the other few horses of Ordon.

Link arduously strode across the dirt road, an unbalanced air that was hard to distinguish about him. His steps were meander, steady, his movements graced in all ways devoid of broadcasting his inner turmoil. Change. Oh, how he despised it. A part of him utterly, patronizingly condemned it, while the other part took it as a part of life, unchangeable and to be disregarded as such. He stepped into the barn, fingers somnolently sliding along the wooden door. The lighting was dim inside, any light streaking through cracks and windows significant and bold. Link sighed, and dragged his eyes away from his hand. He heard the indescribable sounds of movement, and made his way to the source.  
In the stable farthest back in the barn, was Ilia with a young mare. He quietly observed the scene in front of him. She held a damp cloth, lightly cleaning the skin above the hoof. Link saw short strands of grey hair lie in miniature clumps, a pair of clippers -imported from Castle Town- nearby. What was Ilia doing? He stepped to the side to get a better view, the sound alerting Ilia of someone's presence. She promptly ignored the visitor, and continued her caretaking. Ilia looked up at the mare's face, said, "I'm going to have to rub it, and this may hurt a little. Now," she placed the cloth above the hoof, over the red, burning rash, "be a good girl and hold still."

Specks of dust floated in the stricken spotlights. Link waited in silence, eyeing the barn's most intricate details to save himself from an overdose of boredom. The uneven pattern of wood, the blister he got from sliding his fingers across the door moments ago, the damp and musky smell. He watched a bug disappear into a crack in the wall, and played with a strand of hay. Ilia's soft words directed towards the horse were muffled to his ears. He let his mind wander down darker roads. Deep crimson licking along a sharp, silver blade. A final cry of anguish and death protruding from each and every victim... Link shuddered. "What has you so worked up?"  
Ilia's voice.

"Hmm?" Link replied, suddenly finding interest in the niche to a supporting pole. He thought he heard a sigh, but dismissed it for the sound was too subtle. Ilia walked past him, not once resting her gaze on him. She playfully bounced her shoulder on him, saying, "You know what I mean." Curiosity drove the best of Link, like a child aching to be independant but realizing he or she needed a shoulder to lean on. He followed Ilia, saying, "Erm, Excuse me?" Ilia, refusing to turn and face him, rolled her eyes and said, "Something's on your mind. Spit it out." Her tone was harsh, more austere than intended. She bit her tounge for a brief moment, in seconds debating whether to speak again or not. She perniciously swallowed her words away. Her chance at reasoning was ruined, whatever she had left to say would be misconcepted.  
The abashed, shaken silence held between them was unwavering. Link went into a nearby stable, and brought out the eldest stallion, whom was named Ol' Blue. Ilia placed the clippers and ointment away, taking out a broom. While leading Ol' Blue out, Link saw the broom in her hands, saying, "Seriously? The stables are clean enough." Ilia's lips adversely twitched, a faint hint at an unwanted smile. She let out a calming breath, and somewhat reluctantly informed, "Rosaline has Mud Fever, Link. What were you thinking when she wasn't in her usual stall? Just- ugh. Ask Fado for anything else." Not understanding her rash mood, Link shrugged and left. Ilia rolled her shoulders and began brushing the dirt out the barn. How a man could know near nothing about how to treat an animal, and have their pet so loyal to them was beyond her.

Link sat upon the saddle strapped to Ol' Blue, leading the horse out to Fado and Epona with a casual trot. Though his eyes were looking forward, his mind was settled someplace else, distracted. This wasn't as if this was the first time Ilia had gotten angry with him. No, she had one heck of a temper if pestered to it. Clicheically her anger was always "for a good reason." So why did it bother him, if only in the slightest? _It was so out of the bloom..._ Her unprovoked anger was a tremor in the abiding morning. Was it something he'd said, done? After a moment's thought, Link had his answer.

No, he'd done nothing wrong. Work seemed dull and uneventful once he'd reached that conclusion, as his mind no longer had anything to intensely focus on. He sighed, realizing how much time was still left in the day. He was just about to come to the conclusion that the day would be fruitfully uneventful, when he heard a spine-tingling cry emit from one of the goats. Still straddled to Ol' Blue, Link instantly turned, keying the horse in the direction of the sound.  
One of the younger goats had been rammed into. The adult stood, braced, eagerly awaiting its opponent's next move. Link cautiously brought Ol' Blue to the scene. He'd seen this dillema plenty of times, and he scarcely had to intervene. The kid stood, and again was mercilessly rammed, crashing and sliding against the ground, kicking up dirt. This Link had seen, too. Usually it took two or three hits to get the goats to understand who was in charge. But this goat didn't give up.

Stand, rammed.  
Stand, rammed.  
_Again and again._

Link didn't know what to make of it. His perplexed tolerance cracked the moment he saw blood skid the grass. Whooping a command, he ushered Ol' Blue towards the fighters. Hooves clanking, the injured young goat bleeting, and the offender rushing forth once again. Link yanked the reins, Ol' Blue whinnying in the heat of the moment, raising his forelegs into the air just seconds before the goat flew by. Link winced as the young goat let out one final anguished yelp. Either from a broken rib stabbing its heart, snapped jugular causing it to choke on its own blood, trampled, or a mixture of all, Link didn't know. He couldn't bring himself to look. The dead goat would look too much like his foes from the Obscurity; ruthlessly attacked, savagely killed, and bloody. Oh so bloody.

-X~X~X-

Mayor Bo was situated between Link and Ilia at the dining table, the teens sitting opposite of each other. Every few days, Link had dinner at Bo's home. The boy was, simply, utterly incapable of creating anything worth eating. Knowing this to be true, Bo often insisted Link join him at his home for dinner. This way, the mayor was certain Link would be eating. Healthfully, at that. It was also a good time to start a conversation, see how the boy was doing. Link had become like a son to Bo, much like Bo a father to Link.  
Candles lit the table, and the sky was pink and orange, signifying sunset. Dark clouds lined a portion of the sky, and thunder could be heard. Silence basked in the putrid fume of wax that solomnely hung in the room. While the blood relatives ate, Link meerly picked at his food, scraping the fork over the meal that strangely upset his stomach. The ache of hunger never hit him, as esquisite and adequately tempting the food was. No matter how many times he scooped a mouthful, a mute inner groan always made him drop the forkful, and continue scraping. Ilia would not meet his gaze.

"Link, what's gotten at you?" Mayor Bo asked, directing all his attention to his trainee. Link shrugged. "C'mon, my boy. I can tell when something bad is on your mind." Letting his shoulders sag, Link said, "I could've saved that goat."  
"The one Fado told me of, from today?" Bo asked. Link nodded. Bo sighed, momentarily debating a few thoughts on his mind. He dropped his fork and turned to Link, saying, "Link. Listen well to my words. That isn't the first goat to die like that. What you witnessed today wasn't unusual, but it isn't uncommon a fate, either. Goats are wild animals. Wild animals are agressive." Before Bo could finish, Link speedily cut him off.  
"Doesn't mean I couldn't have jumped in front of that goat and-"  
"Well it's a good thing you didn't! If you did, it would've crushed you, and you too would be dead!"

Eveything took a moment to sink in, a whack of thunder booming from far into the forest. Link looked away, eyeing the floorboard, mumbling, "Maybe it would've been a good thing, if that happened." What little amount of activity was there stopped, and the blood relatives' eyes resting on Link. He'd jammed his fork into the meat. It was clear, this was about more than the goat.  
All this damn kindness. Ordon was nothing but good to him, and how was he returning their amiability? With lies. It was that simple, yet so complicated. Ordon did not know his true strength. Ordon did not know the story behind the Obscurity. The only relationship Link held with these villagers, his once-home, now, was false affection and a tangle of dishonesty, and it was eating him alive, ebbing away bit by bit at his brain and remaining sanity. He was wallowing in his own guilt. But how could he tell Bo that, without telling his secret? Without risking losing the relationship Bo thought he still had with Link, without risking he'd change the mayor's mindset on the mere goatherder? He couldn't. Wouldn't.

Bo let out a shaky breath, his voice soft as he asked, "Why would you even say such a thing? What's driven you to such measures?" Not replying, Link moved solely his eyes to meet Ilia's gaze. There was a knowing look in her eyes. He hadn't changed, since that day in the forest. He'd just managed to know how to cover it up better.  
Link stood, ready to leave and head home, when Bo grabbed his wrist. The mayor said, "Now, I may not know what's going on, and that's fine if you don't want to tell me, but I refuse to let you go home hungry. When was the last full meal you've had?" Greeted with more silence, Bo and Ilia could only assume that it was days ago. Link sat back down, staring at his plate. It was still full, unlike the other two plates still on the table. Mayor Bo instructed Ilia to head to bed, and she obeyed unquestioningly. While heading up the stairs, she paused to look back at Link. All the signs were there, so why hadn't she noticed earlier? Had they both changed that much, to where the friendship they once had was withered, dry and surreal? She was unwilling to believe it.

Once his daughter was out of sight, Bo turned to Link, telling him, "I won't be leaving this table until I see you start eating." He had to wait a considerably long time before Link finally gave in.

-X~X~X-

Mayor Bo offered Link stay the night, but the boy politely denied, saying all he needed was some time alone, to get his thoughts straight. When he stepped outside, the night seemed darker than usual. Looking to the sky, he realized it was the clouds concealing the moon. Blind without it, he took out his lamp, set it aflame, and began to walk home. The conversation between him and Bo replayed through his mind again, a vivid reminder of how much he missed being able to console in his adopted father. A reeking fume met Link's nose, forcing him to gag. Smoke. Link ran the rest of the way home. The sight before him caused him to weakly cry out in disbelief.  
His home had been half burned down. It was easy to see that the flames came from the high trees situated around his home, and that they set the top of his house on fire. The flames destoryed any support in the building, and it toppled over, catching various other parts of his home aflame, and random patches of grass on the ground. Link found a reason to smile amidst the tragedy, even though the best smile he could muster was a slight smirk. Thank goodness it was raining, or else the fire would have stretched over to the village.

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**EDIT 6/22/12 - Fixed the ridiculous amount of typos that were in this chapter.**

**EDIT 6/30/12 - Fixed grammar and spelling issues. Took out a couple commas, and fixed Bo's line "Now, I may now know what's going on," to "Now, I may not know what's going on." Just sounds better off the tounge, and makes more sense saying not.**


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